La description

Ginger, or zingiber officinale, is a perennial plant having thick branching aromatic rhizomes and leafy reedlike stems. For centuries, ginger has been widely used as a spice throughout the world, especially in Asian countries. A native to China and India, this plant is widely cultivated in Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the Caribbean. It needs a minimum annual rainfall of **0cm, temperatures of *0°C or over, a short dry season and a deep fertile soil. Known for its slightly biting and hot flavour, this spice is widely used in preparing gingerbread, ginger ale, gingersnaps and Asian dishes. It adds delicacy to the dish by its rich, sweet, warm and woody aroma.

Ginger paste in combination with garlic and onion is widely used in preparing almost every meat dish by the Indians and the Pakistanis. It is also used as a flavouring agent to add more warmth in tea. It takes its name from the Sanskrit word stringa-vera, which means “with a body like a horn”, as in antlers.

The pungency in ginger is due to the presence of a volatile oil. The dried rhizome contains approximately 1—3% volatile oil which is the source of ginger's characteristic aroma; an oleoresin contains the pungent properties